Thursday, August 24, 2006

California

ANTIOCH UNIVERSITY LOS ANGELESSubject areas: Poetry, Fiction, Creative NonfictionFaculty: Steve Heller, Tara Ison, Jenny Factor, Eloise Klein HealyLength: 2 years for single-concentration students w/ 1 area of study; + another semester to earn a dual concentration (2 areas of study); + another semester if you want a Certificate in the Teaching of Creative WritingTuition per year: Easier to go by semester. $5.5-$9K per semester, depending on semester, and what you’re trying to earn.Application materials: Submit all materials to Admissions Office: MFA in Creative Writing Application Form, $60 application fee, at least 2 recommendations, transcript, “admissions dialogue” (i.e. personal statement), writing sample, optional interview; GRE not mentionedDeadline: Semesters do not begin in September and January as most college semesters do; deadlines are 15 Feb. for June entry, 15 Aug. for Dec. entry.Financial Aid: Student and/or family must carry primary responsibility, as the school has not set up any particular assistantship or fellowship program to provide MFA students with funding. 75% of students receive some form of financial aid via government sources (grants, loans, work study opportunities) based on need. The university has a limited number of institutional grants and scholarships.Web address: http://www.antiochla.edu/admissions_graduate_mfa.shtml

CALIFORNIA COLLEGE OF THE ARTS (CCA)Subject areas: Poetry, Fiction, Scriptwriting, Creative NonfictionFaculty: Juvenal Acosta, Opal Palmer Adisa, Tom Barbash, Hugh Behm-Steinberg, Rebekah Bloyd, Gabrielle Calvocoressi, Sydney Carson, Betsy Davids, Donna de la Perrière, Kathleen Fraser, Gloria Frym, Caroline Goodwin, Eliza Harding, Ryan Harty, Matthew Iribarne, Brent Jones, John Laskey, Joseph Lease, Anne N. Marino, Denise Newman, Julie Orringer, Holly Payne, Michelle Richmond, Zack Rogow, Judith Serin, Glori Simmons, Brian Teare, Ethan Watters, Ann Joslin Williams, Cooley Windsor, Ben YalomLength: 2 yearsTuition per year: Easier to go by semester. Tuition is $959 per unit; graduate students in this program are expected to take 15 units per semester, so the tuition per semester is $14 385.Application materials: Submit all materials to Enrollment Services Office—Graduate Admissions: Graduate Application, $50 application fee, 3 recommendations, transcript, personal essay, portfolio, resume/vitae, interview; GRE not mentionedDeadline: 15 Jan. (fall); no spring admissionsFinancial Aid: The department has not set up any assistantship or fellowship program to provide funds for graduate students. Students can submit the FAFSA to CCA beginning in January; this automatically considers them for all forms of financial assistance. Awards are given on a rolling basis throughout the year in the order that applications are completed, so students should apply as early as possible to be given first consideration for CCA scholarships.Web address: http://www.cca.edu/academics/mfawriting

CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE OF THE ARTS (CAL ARTS)Program name: MFA in WritingSubject areas: This program has developed a special focus on hybrid genres, and aims to cross barriers between critical/creative writing and fiction/nonfiction. Students are exposed to “specific opportunities in the areas of cultural commentary, new fiction, experimental criticism, writing for performance, and writing for interactive media.”Faculty: Steve Erickson, Tom Lutz, Janet Sarbanes, Mady Schutzman, Matias Viegener, Jon Wagner, Christine WertheimLength: 2 yearsTuition per year: $29.5 KApplication materials: Submit Application for Admission, $65 application fee, 2-3 recommendations, transcript, artist statement, and portfolio to Office of Admissions; GRE not mentionedDeadline: For fall: 2 Feb. if interested in financial aid; 1 Mar. if interested only in admission. No spring admissions.Financial Aid: All applicants are encouraged to apply for financial aid. Many students receive scholarship support. Teaching, editorial, and technological assistantships are available for qualified students.Web address: http://www.calarts.edu/~writing

CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY LONG BEACHSubject areas: Poetry, FictionFaculty: Stephen Cooper, Elliot Fried, Suzanne Greenberg, Gerald Locklin, Charles Webb, Rafael ZepedaLength: 2 yearsTuition per year: $3.5 K (residents), $3.5 K + $339 per unit (nonresidents). In this 60-unit program, non-residents can expect to pay an extra $20 340, or $5 085 per year.Application materials: Submit departmental application form, writing sample, transcript, 2 recommendation letters (optional), and statement of purpose (optional) to Department of English; submit Graduate Admissions Application, $55 application fee, and transcript to Enrollment Services/Admissions; GRE not mentionedDeadline: 15 Feb. (fall); no spring admissionsFinancial Aid: Student and/or family will most likely carry the most financial responsibility, as the school has not set up any particular assistantship or fellowship program to provide MFA students with funding. Grants and scholarships are available from the school and the government, and there are student loans/work opportunities.Web address: http://www.csulb.edu/depts/english/mfa/index.html

NATIONAL UNIVERSITYSubject areas: Fiction, Poetry, Literary Nonfiction, ScreenwritingFaculty: Luis Acebal, Janet Ann Baker, Colin Dickey, Lee Lovallo, Paul Majkut, Colin Marlaire, Vicki Martineau-Gillam, Scott McClintock. John Miller, Karen Beth Offitzer, Lisa Anna Palafox, Christin Photinos, Franz Potter, Jana Lynn Rivers-Norton, Sharon Masako SakadaLength: Program is 10 courses at 4.5 units each for a total of 45 units. You are not allowed to take over 4 courses (18 units) per quarter without Dean’s approval. At top speed, you could do the degree in 3 quarters.Tuition per year: Easier to go by cost of entire program. Degree is 10 courses and 45 units at $1 188 per course and $264 per unit; total tuition cost of $23 760.Application materials: Submit Application for Admission (online version only, so I can’t check for a statement of purpose, but it may ask you to upload one at a certain point in the online form), $60 application fee, GRE/MAT scores for students with GPA below 2.5, and transcript to Admissions; submit portfolio to Karen Offitzer (koffitze@nu.edu) in the creative writing program; recommendations not mentioned (odd!)Deadline: Applications are accepted year-round, and students begin classes any month of the year.Financial Aid: The department has not set up any assistantship or fellowship program to provide funds for graduate students. To get financial aid, file a FAFSA to receive a package that may consist of grant, loan, and/or on/off-campus employment.Web address: http://www.nu.edu/Academics/Schools/COLS/ArtHum/Degrees/715-505.html

SAN DIEGO STATE UNIVERSITYSubject areas: Fiction, PoetryFaculty: Sandra Alcosser, Sharon Bryan, Marilyn Chin, Glover Davis, Harold Jaffe, David Matlin, Joanne Meschery, Ilya KaminskyLength: Graduate students take a minimum of 9 units per semester; program is 54 units. At most, it would take 6 semesters or 3 years.Tuition per year: Easier to go by semester. Residents pay $1551 per semester. Non-residents pay the same plus $339 per unit; in this 54-unit program, they would pay $18 306 for the units plus $1 551 per semester at the school.Application materials: Submit Graduate Application, $55 application fee, GRE scores, and transcript to Graduate Admissions; submit 3 recommendations, statement of purpose, and writing sample to Department of English and Comparative LiteratureDeadline: 1 Feb. (fall); no spring admissionsFinancial Aid: Graduate teaching associateships and graduate assistantships available to a limited number of qualified students; editorial internships also available. Stipends not specified.Web address: http://mfa.sdsu.edu/ink.html

SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITYSubject areas: Poetry, Fiction, PlaywritingFaculty: Stacy Doris, Paul Hoover, Daniel J. Langton, Toni Mirosevich, Michelle Carter, Nona Caspers, Maxine Chernoff, Robert Gluck, Peter Orner, Roy ConboyLength: Normal graduate student load of 9 to 12 units per semester; a graduate student could complete the 54-unit program in 4.5 (or 5) to 6 semesters.Tuition per year: Easier to go by semester. Residents pay $1551 per semester. Non-residents pay the same plus $339 per unit; in this 54-unit program, they would pay $18 306 for the units plus $1 551 per semester at the school.Application materials: Submit Application for Graduate Admission (with statement of purpose), $55 application fee, and transcript to Graduate Division Office; submit MFA Application, 2 recommendations, transcript, and manuscript to Creative Writing Department; GRE not requiredDeadline: 15 Jan. (fall); no spring admissionsFinancial Aid: A Fiction fellowship of $500 and a Poetry fellowship of $500. Second year students have the opportunity to apply to teach a beginning Creative Writing course; approximately 5-7 students each year are hired to teach one class a semester for 1 year.Web address: http://www.sfsu.edu/~cwriting